But what can you eat for just HK$15? (CCSS Level: Grade 9, Words: 307)

Oct 10, 2017 Style & Living

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Analysis of government data shows many families cannot afford to eat properly, and poor people without public housing are hit particularly hard.

The study lead by Hong Kong Council of Social Services, which oversees more than 460 community groups, looked at the conditions of those categorised as low income - that is, earning less than half of the city's median income - but who do not getting social security.

Without public flats or comprehensive social security assistance, over 40 percent of low income households in Hong Kong did not meet their basic nutritional needs, About 71,000 poor Hong Kong households do not have enough money to meet even their most basic food needs, and are surviving on less than HK$15 per meal per person, a study has found.

And poor people who do not have public housing are shelling out larger chunks of their small incomes on rent than those who do, leaving them particularly short of cash for food. A household is considered poor if it brings in a monthly income less than HK $3,500 for one person, HK $8,500 for two people, HK$14,000 for three people, or HK$17,000 for four.

According to the council's analysis, using a food expenses report by Oxfam, a person should spend at least HK$1,696 monthly on food, or at least HK$15 per meal, to meet basic nutritional needs. This is based on a person having at least three bowls of rice, 225g of vegetables, 200g of meat, two portions of dairy and two pieces of fruit each day.

Money for food is particularly tight for poor families in private housing. That is because, according to study, they spend almost five times more on rent than publicly housed HongKongers. The group urged the government to speed up the building of new public flats and launch transitional homes for people waiting for public housing.